Clothes-drier



(No Model.)

T. P. SNYDER. GLOTHES DRIER.

I No. 551,008. [Patented Dec. 10, 1895.

UN TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TRUMAN P. SNYDER, OF NORTH ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTHES-DRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,008, dated December 10, 1895.

Application filed July 8, 1895. Serial No. 555,247. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TRUMAN P. SNYDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Adams, county 'of Berkshire, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Racks, of which the following specification contains a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof, in which Figure 1 is a perspective of my improved clothes-rack with the arms extended and the slide lowered to bring the arms within easy reach. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the back or frame. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the slide. Fig. 4 is a detail view, the slide broken away and the bracket being in section to show how the arm is held horizontally thereby. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the rack withthe arms in their folded positions. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are details showing the latch.

The object of the invention is to provide a clothes rack which will occupy but little space when not in use and in which pivoting of the clothes-supporting arms is entirely avoided.

A further object is to provide the rack with a slide, to which the arms are connected to permit them to be lowered within convenient reach to hang the clothes or other articles to be dried thereon and then be raised out of the way. v

The invention will first be described, and then specifically pointed out in the claims.

A represents the open back or attachingframe by which the device as a whole may be secured to the wall or other suitable vertical surface by means of a screw or nail a. This frame A is provided with a vertical guideway by forming the inner faces of its two vertical sides with grooves a a. B is the slide, having rabbeted edges 12 b, which slide freely in said grooves. The edge I) is in the form of a ratchet-rack,the teeth of which are engaged by a latch O, pivoted at its lower end in a slot a in the lower end of one side bar of the frame A and which opens into the adjacent groove 0/, so that the upper inner corner of the latch will snap into therack-teeth and hold the slide Bin any desired position. The inner edge of the latch and sides of the teeth are inclined to cause the teeth in the slide to teeth when the slide has been sufficiently In thus retracting the latch its uplowered. per end will strike the top wall of the slot a and prevent the latch from being withdrawn too far. Moreover, when the latch is in engagement with the ratchet-rack its lower innor corner will engage the bottom wall of the slot a and thusthe weight of the slide B and the clothes hung on the folding arms thereof will be supported by the latch alone and its pivot relieved of strain.

The latch is forced inward into engagement with the slide-teeth b by means of a platespring 0, which bears at its lower inturned end against the outer side of the back or frame A, the upper. end of the spring being secured tothe upper end of the outer side of the latch by means of the handle or knob 0 which has a screw 0 which passes through washer and the spring into the latch, as shown in Figs. 6'

and 7. It will be seen that this plate-spring C completely covers the outer side of the latch and its containing-slot, and thus acts as a dust-guard.

D is the arm-supporting bracket, secured to the upper end of the slide B and formed with upper and lower parallel semicircular flanges d d, spaced apart vertically a sufficient distance to receive the inner ends of arms E between them, and the lower flange d projecting far enough beyond the upper flange to allow the arms E to be raised into a vertical position and then slid down till their lower ends rest on the cup-like support F, secured to the lower end of the slide in vertical alignment with the bracket D, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. The flanges cl d are connected by a series of cross-pieces (1 which space the arms E apart, as shown in Fig. 1, where the arms radiate from the bracket. These flanges d d and cross-pie s d form aseries of openings at the outer 3% the bracket and at an angle thereto to rece've the arms E and permit themto be moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 5, the rack will lie close to the wall of the kitchen or laundry, occupy but little space, and be entirely out of the way. Vhcn it is desired to use the rack, the slide is lowered and the arms E pulled upward and then lowered at their outer ends till their inner ends rest against the lower face of flange (I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, when the clothes are hung on the arms and the slide pushed up to raise the arms and clothes out of the way.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A clothes rack, comprising the back or attaching frame having guide grooves in the inner faces of its vertical side bars or rails and a slot extending through one of said bars or rails into its guide groove, an inclined latch pivoted at its lower end in the lower end of said slot, a plate spring secured at its upper end to the outer face of the latch and extending at its lower end below the slot and bearing against said side rail or bar and normally throwing the upper end of said latch inwardly into the guide-groove, a knob or finger piece projecting from the latch, and the slide havng rabbeted edges working in said guide grooves and having one edge formed with inclined ratchet teeth under which the latch snaps as the slide is raised; the said slide being provided on its outer face with folding arms substantially as set forth.

2. A clothes rack, consisting in the back or attaching frame having guide grooves in the inner faces of its vertical side bars or rails, and a slot extending through one of said bars or rails into the guide-groove, the arm-carrying slide having rabbeted edges sliding in. said grooves; one edge having a ratchet-rack, the inclined latch pivoted atits lower inclined end in the lower end of the slot, a plate-sprin g extending from the upper end of the outer side of the latch down below the lower end of the slot and there bearing on the outer edge of the slotted side bar, and a knob having an attaching screw which also serves to secure the plate-spring to the latch; the said spring throwing the upper inner corner of the latch into engagement with the ratchet-teeth to hold the slide in its adjusted position, and the lower inner corner of the latch then bearing on the bottom wall of the slot to take the strain from the pivot, subsimitially as set forth.

TRUMAN P. SNYDER.

\Vitn esses:

S. Pnooron THAYER, SHEPHERD THAYER. 

